CHICAGO - The UIC women's golf team will tee off for the first time in the month of April this weekend, when the Flames travel to Peoria, Ill., to take part in the Bradley Invitational. The two-day, 54-hole tournament will be held at WeaverRidge Golf Club. The event gets underway with 36 holes on Friday, followed by an 18-hole final round on Saturday.

"Since our spring trip, we have continued to work on our preparation and course management skills, which are crucial as we prepare for the Horizon League Championships," said head coach Carol Rhoades. "WeaverRidge is rated as one of Illinois' best public facilities with championship conditions. We are playing a very difficult course with rolling terrain. We will be tested in every facet of our games."

UIC has been idle since March 11, when the Flames played in three events in Florida to open the spring season. The Flames have been paced by sophomore transfer Ryann Gilley, who has posted three rounds in the 80's this spring. In five combined tournaments in the fall and spring seasons, Gilley has recorded a team-best scoring average of 82.89. In the final round of the Sunshine Classic in Orlando on March 11, she shot a six-over-par 78, UIC's best individual round in Florida.

As a team, the Flames significantly improved their score in each round last month. UIC shot 340 in the final round of the Sunshine Spring Classic, just two days after carding a team score of 348 on the same course (Rio Pinar Country Club).

This week's tournament will be played at a yardage of 6,092, with a par of 72. Both rounds will be shotgun starts. The women's field will feature host Bradley, Indiana State, Northern Iowa, South Carolina-Upstate, UIC and Western Illinois. Northern Iowa captured the team championship with a collective score of 908, extending a four-year streak of Missouri Valley Conference schools winning the team title.